A challenge to the development of economically viable polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM)-containing fuel cells for automotive applications, is the high cost of platinum currently required in the cathode for the catalytic reduction of oxygen. Various platinum alloy catalysts have exhibited improved mass activities for oxygen reduction and platinum-titanium alloy catalysts have shown some of the more promising activities. In addition, the titanium component of the catalyst is expected to be reasonably stable under the acidic conditions encountered in a PEM fuel cell.
To be effective in a fuel cell, platinum alloy catalysts must be prepared as nanosize particles. Current methods of platinum-titanium catalyst synthesis require several wet chemical steps, culminating in a high-temperature reduction. This latter step is not ideal for obtaining nanoparticles since sintering of both metals occurs at the temperatures required to reduce titanium. A better method for the preparation of nanometer size platinum-titanium alloy particles is needed.